Reading appliance



. 0ct. 29, 1929. A. AHLBERG READING APPLIANCE Filed Sept. 20. 1927 I Ivar/mica fl rcai .iAZ

41/0 rne ys Patented Oct. 29, 1929 PATENT OFFICE ALFRED .AHLBERG, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA- READING APPLIANCE Application filed September 20, 1927. Serial No. 220,688.

The object of this invention is to provide a support for books andpapers, from a table, chair or other suitable base, which support is adjustable in position bymeans of an adjustable arm of strong and durable'construc tion. The arm may also be used as a support for a telephone, a lamp or the like.

, The object, also, is to provide a travelling carrier for a magnifying glass which is adjustable in height above the printed page to focus the lines of the book or paper, and which is also movablesup and down the printed page to follow the lines in reading.

I accomplish the above and other minor objects which will hereinafter appear, by the mechanism illustrated'in the accompanying drawing, in which-.-

Fig. 1, is a perspectiveview of my complete assembled. invention 4.20 Fig.2, is a detail showing two of the members of the jointed arm in plan view;

Fig. 3, is a view 111 side elevatlon and partial section, .on the line 38 of Flg. 2,

. Fig. 4, is a fragment in vertical section 0 the table for supporting a book or paper,

showing in particular theconstruction of the magnifying glass support, and

Fig. 5,, is a detail in plan view of the glass support shown in Fig. 4.

Like charactersof reference indicate like part sin the severalflviews' of the drawing.

The table supporting arm' 1 is formed out of aplurality of-sections or members which are hinged together in a manner which will he'reinafterbe described. Th s ar is @011 nectedby, a-hinge joint toa support 2, which may be a table, "chair, bed, wall,.or anything suitable for the purpose. The part 31s a platewith holes-forscrews or bolts, as shown,

* to enter athesupport or to be gIiPPGCltO the support by "clamps, not shown. This plate has'vertically perforated knuckles, which receive a pine,- passing through holes 1n hor zontal flanges 5 of the'first arm member 6.

" The endof membenfi through Whichpin 4 ,passes, rests upon the top knuckle of plate 3 and swings in a horizontal plane about thepin 4.

The flanges 5 of the member 6, remote from pin 4, has holes that receive a hinge pin 7, which also passes through holes in ears 8 and 9, on a second arm member 10 and hinges the members 6and10together. It will be noted that the ear 8 is a continuation of a top flange extending nearly the full length of th'emember 10 but terminating opposite an ear 11 while the lower ear 9 has no such plate extension on that side of the vertical body or web of the member,but has a plate extension on the opposite side of the web from'theear beginning-opposite where the ear 9 ends, and extending to form an ear 12 under the ear ,11. By thus forming the top and bottom flanges on opposite sides of the web the arm as a whole is better braced and looks stronger and more massive; preferably the flanges will taper away from their pin holes, in the manner shown. i a

The remaining members of the arm are similarly constructed, except that the flanges are reversed in each alternate member; and that the last one, to which the table isat-1 tached has no hinge ears next to the table but has a vertical post 13 riveted to that end.

All of the joints between the first pin 4,

the bolts 7 to regulate by friction the freedom of actionof the'joints. This is assisted by spring spreaders 14 wrapped around the bolts and contacting the upper and lower sets of ears (see Fig. 3). Theends of the webs of two members hinged together, meet at 15 when thewebs are-in alinement, to limit the swing there at the joint to movement in one direction only.

Pivoted by a bolt 16 to the upper end of post 13 is an arm 17, which is pivotally secured to an arm 18 that is rigidly attached to the bottom of a table 19. By adjusting the angle of the arm 17 the table may be raised and lowered within the range of the arm, and the angle of the table with a horizontal plane may be varied by the action of the pivotal connections at each end of the arm 17. At the bottom of the table is a flange 20 to keep a book or the like from sliding off when the table is tipped.

Fastened to each of the two side edges of the table are metal channels 21, each com-prising a strap with edges bent out and then down, and inserted from their ends are plates 22, with correspondingly turned edges which fit slidingly in the channels 21. Riveted to plates 22, are standards 23, that extend a suitable distance above the table. The standards on their inner sides each has a vertical channeled rib 24, embraced by a correspondingly shaped standard extension 25 having lateral ears in which the ends of a pair of parallel rods 26 are seated. The rods are the supportsfor a magnifying glass of any suitable :form (not shown). By adjusting the standard extension 25 on the standard by the means shown, the glass supported by the rods may be raised or lowered to enable the reader to get the desired focus on the reading matter on the table below.

The movement of the magnifying glass up and down the page, of a book or paper on the table, is accomplished by sliding the two standards 23, 23 one on each side of the table in their channels 21. To this end I mount a vertical shaft 28 in the flanges of member 6, and on its upper end provide a hand knob 29' and on its lower end a sprocket-wheel 30.- The latter is connected by a link belt with a sprocket-wheel 31 on the next joint pin 7 Fixed to wheel 31 is a second sprocket wheel which is. connected by a link belt with a sprocket wheel on the pin at the next joint pin further out and so on, to the end of the last arm member, where the last link belt drives a sprocketwhecl on the lower end'of a vertical shaft on the upper end of which a bevel gear wheel 32 is mounted. The bevel 32 meshes with a bevel gear wheel 33 on the shaft 16, which is the hinge pin at the joint connect-ing post 13 with the arm 17 A sprocket wheel34 on the shaft 16 is belted with a like wheel 35 on the joint-pin'connecting the arms 17 and 18'. A second sprocket wheel on the last joint-pin is connected by belt 36 withawheel on a shaft 37 extending across the upper end of'the table and .journaled in the side flanges of'the'table. On each end of shaft 37, outside of the table, is a sprocket wheel 38, which drives a belt 39,

one at each end of the table, passing around respective wheels 40. The two belts 39 are fastened at 41; (see Fig. 4,) to their respective standards 23.

From the foregoingby reference to'the drawing,.it will be seen that when the knob 29 is turned by hand the standards 23, and

therefore the magnifying glass, may be appropriately moved as the person uses it dosires, regardless of the angle of the table and positions of the members of its supporting arm.

WVhile I have shown and described my invention with more or less minuteness or re gards details of construction and arrangement and as being embodied in certain precise forms, I do not desire to be limited to the arrangement and form here shown, unduly, or any more than is pointed out in the claims. On the contrary, I contemplate all proper changes in form and arrangement, the omission of immaterial elements and the substitution of equivalents, as circumstances may suggest or as necessity may render expedient. It is also obvious that the arm support can be used as a support for a telephone, an electric light, or other lamps and for various devices, which I desire to include in'the use to which my invention is applied.

I claim: 1

1. In a reading appliance, a table on which the object to be read isplaced, an arm in a plurality of jointed members supporting the table, each of said members having a'pai-r of hinge cars at each of its ends, a pin connecting a pair of hinge ears of one member with a pair of an adjacent member, and tapering friction sockets in a'pair of contacting cars at each oint drawn tog-ether by thepin'.

.2. In a reading appliance, a table on which the object to be read is placed, an arm in a plurality ofjointed members supporting the table, each of said members having a pairof hinge cars at each of its ends, a pin connect! ing a pair of hinge ears of one member with apair of an adjacent member, and tapering friction sockets in a pair of contactingears at each joint drawn together by the pin-and a spring wrapped around'the pin and spread ing the two pairs of hinge ears apart.

3. In a reading appliance, a table on which the object to be read is placed, an arm in a plurality of jointed members supporting the table, each of said members having a 'pai'r of hlnge cars at each of its ends, a pin connect inga pair of hinge ears of one member with a pair of an adjacent member, tapering fric-- tion sockets atea'ch joint. and'longitudinal flanges on opposite edges and sides of each member. 1

4. In ar'eadin'g 'appliance,'a table on which the object tolbe read-is placed, an arm in a plurality of jointed members supporting't'he table, eachof said members h-avingapair' of hinge cars at eacho'f its ends, 'a pin connecting a pair of binge cars at "each of itse n'dsg'a pin connecting a pair of hi n'ge ears; 10f one member with a pair of an adjacent member, tapering friction sockets at each joint and longitudinal flanges on opposite edges and sides of each member said flanges having hinge ears at one end from which end the flange tapers and hinge ears at the tapered End bent in the opposite direction from the sin e.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

ALFRED AHLBERG. 

